The Miami Foundation awards $85,000 in grants to nonprofit food programs
The Miami Foundation recently gave $1.2 million in grants to 75 South Florida nonprofits, including $85,000 for five food-related endeavors. Here’s who got what, with excerpts from the groups’ applications:
▪ Easter Seals South Florida: $20,000. Easter Seals’ Culinary Arts Vocational Training Program provides hands-on training, skills and vocational support to special-needs students ages 14 to 22. Easter Seals offers its students an alternative-educational setting that addresses each of their unique learning needs and prepares them for jobs in the food industry.
▪ Urban GreenWorks: $20,000. The Mustard Seed Project addresses social and food issues in low-income communities. It provides women released from prison the opportunity to learn and work in a food garden at their halfway house, growing food at an urban farm in Liberty City.
▪ Farm Share, Inc.: $17,500. Farm Share’s food-recovery and distribution program helps alleviate hunger and malnutrition in Florida, including Miami-Dade County, by acquiring surplus produce from farmers, packers, wholesalers and grocers, then distributing it to residents in need.
▪ Miami Rescue Mission, Inc.: $17,500. With 120,000 meals a day, Miami Rescue Mission is the largest food provider for people living on the streets in Miami. The Indoor Meal Program builds relationships and provides encouragement and resources for individuals and families to break the cycle of homelessness.
▪ Common Threads, Inc.: $10,000. Common Threads’ Full-Year Program, developed in part by chefs, educators and nutritionists, includes in- and after-school programs to teach children, families and teachers about nutrition and healthy living. All lessons are mapped to Common Core standards for math and English.
The Miami Foundation’s Community Grants are supported by more than 100 donors with permanently endowed funds at the foundation. They are intended to benefit nonprofits tackling issues that affect the quality of life for Miamians.
“These organizations give voice to the voiceless and provide access to opportunity for thousands of local residents,” Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a statement. “They set an example for each of us on the importance of building a community that serves everyone who lives within it.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 2:42 PM with the headline "The Miami Foundation awards $85,000 in grants to nonprofit food programs."